Getting Compensation for Whiplash After a Baltimore County, MD Car Accident

While bone fractures, lacerations, burns, and other disfigurement are obvious signs of car accident injuries, whiplash is not quite so obvious. For this reason, it can be harder to prove when you file a claim with the responsible driver’s insurance company. Regardless, you do have the right to seek compensation for whiplash and other soft tissue injuries, which can lead to intense, chronic pain for the rest of your life. Because of the unique challenges in proving the type and nature of these injuries, you should retain a Maryland auto accident attorney who has experience with whiplash. A lawyer can put your pain, suffering, and other losses into perspective for others, including the insurance claims adjuster and jurors in a potential lawsuit.

Pain can be Delayed with Whiplash Injuries

Unlike other injuries that cause pain immediately upon impact, the effects of whiplash can be delayed. According to online health information resource WebMD, the symptoms may not make themselves known for days, weeks, or even months. Right after the car crash, you may even admit to others that you feel fine. Worse, you may even post on social media. It is never a wise move to reveal your condition to the responsible driver or other witnesses who can report this information to the insurance company. Your words can be used against you when the insurer denies your claim or reduces the settlement offer.

Minor Accidents can Still Cause Big Problems

Though whiplash can result from any violent impact, there are many reports of victims experiencing these and other soft tissue injuries in minor collisions. Even when traveling under 10 miles per hour, the delicate tissues of the back and neck can still be jarred. In such a situation, there are multiple challenges in getting the compensation you deserve because your car will not be severely damaged in a slower speed crash. An insurance company employee will assume you could not have been hurt, and will either make a lower offer or reject your claim.

Whiplash Injuries can Have Long-Term Implications

Cuts can heal in a matter of days and broken bones in a few weeks. Because the spinal cord is such a complicated structure in the human body, the effects of whiplash can last much longer. Without proper treatment and recovery time, long-term medical complications may include:

Mood swings and anxiety;
Vision problems;
Dizziness and light-headedness;
Difficulty sleeping;
Trouble with memory;
Problems concentrating;
Ringing in the ears;
Difficulty chewing, swallowing, and/or talking; and,
Many other health issues.

Some of these conditions will resolve in a few weeks or months, but others can cause chronic problems. Left untreated, whiplash symptoms can lead to stress, depression, fatigue, and other issues.